Travis Henry

In a normal year, Demontray Carter would have run away with Florida's Mr. Football title.He was his city's best running back since Emmitt Smith. He rushed for nearly 3,000 yards to lead Pensacola High to the semifinals of the Class 6A playoffs. He was highly sought by college recruiters.But along came Travis Henry of Frostproof.And he stole the show.Henry rushed for 4,087 yards to lead Frostproof to the Class 3A championship game. Along the way he crushed the state single- season rushing records held by Willie McClendon of Jacksonville University Christian, and more importantly, the national high school mark, held since 1953 by Ken Hall of Sugarland, Texas.

Cleo Lemon? Fantasy football owners face the horrifying prospect of inserting a true Lemon in their starting lineup at quarterback. This sounds like a bad joke but it's actually a worse reality. What's going on? After just five weeks, a dozen NFL teams have replaced their starting quarterbacks due to injury or ineffectiveness. And more will be disappearing soon as clubs would happily bench guys like Chad Pennington and Joey Harrington if it didn't require switching to the Single Wing.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- He threw forearms. He punched stiff-arms. Willis McGahee moved the middle, turned corners, grew more productive as the game grew longer and did exactly on Sunday what most people expected him to do on this Buffalo team. He made it a decision on whether he or the Sunday-injured Travis Henry now starts. "I'm still not the starter," McGahee said after gaining 111 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. "He was out this week, and I'm pretty sure he'll be back and I'm looking forward to playing with him."

An AFC West showdown comes with rare stakes -- a spot in the division cellar. Denver RB Travis Henry (left) leads the NFL in rushing (433 yards), but that means little for a team that can't stop opposing runners (31st in league). That doesn't bode well with LaDaininan Tomlinson on deck. The Chargers got on track offensively last week against Kansas City; now there are issues on defense. 4:15 p.m., 40% rain, 50, Broncos by 1 Jerry Greene's pick: Broncos by 3

An AFC West showdown comes with rare stakes -- a spot in the division cellar. Denver RB Travis Henry (left) leads the NFL in rushing (433 yards), but that means little for a team that can't stop opposing runners (31st in league). That doesn't bode well with LaDaininan Tomlinson on deck. The Chargers got on track offensively last week against Kansas City; now there are issues on defense. 4:15 p.m., 40% rain, 50, Broncos by 1 Jerry Greene's pick: Broncos by 3

THE GAME: Guess who leads the NFL in rushing the past seven weeks? The Titans (166.2 ypg), thanks in large part to Travis Henry, who has four 100-yard games. He should be able to find holes in a Giants defense that was beaten up thoroughly by Jacksonville on Monday night. New York QB Eli Manning is under heat to make more plays. 4:15 p.m.; Sunny, 69; Giants by 3 Jerry Greene's pick: Giants by 6

Jammi German -- 1992 High school: Fort Myers. College: Miami. Why he was Mr. Football: His senior year, German ran 615 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 456 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a dangerous kick returner and had 105 tackles, three interceptions, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries on defense. Some compared him to Deion Sanders. What happened to him: German played receiver and caught 49 passes for 604 yards and three touchdowns during his first two years.

REPORT: Florida Coach Steve Spurrier conceded that his team "caught a break" on a game-winning touchdown catch by Jabar Gaffney with 14 seconds left against Tennessee. Gaffney dropped the ball almost immediately after catching it. "It could have been ruled either way," Spurrier said. "If it were in the field of play [and not the end zone], it definitely would have been ruled incomplete." . . . Spurrier was not satisfied by the play of Florida's defense, especially against Tennessee running back Travis Henry, but said it's too easy to blame it on the loss of middle linebacker Andra Davis.

GAINESVILLE - Dr. Phillips Coach Bill Gierke is used to big plays from his offense. But he doesn't mind at all when his defense gets into the act.Senior linebacker Travis Henry ran 23 yards with a fumble as part of a 21-point third quarter scoring frenzy Friday night, and the Panthers (7-3) beat Gainesville High's Hurricanes 28-7 at Citizens Field.``Without a doubt, after Travis took that ball and scored ... that defensive play was the turning point of the game,'' Gierke said.Henry's touchdown, at 7:34 of the third quarter, gave the Panthers a 21-7 lead.

One day after Indianapolis clinched its third consecutive AFC South title, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Coach Tony Dungy again had to contend with the NFL's hot topic: Will the Colts (13-0) play their starters? The Colts will host San Diego on Sunday. "We'll probably play this game like a normal game," Dungy said Monday. "Once we get to the NFC games, we'll see." The Colts will play Dec. 24 in Seattle and Jan. 1 against Arizona. Brady should be "fine'' New England Coach Bill Belichick said Tom Brady was "fine," and the quarterback said he didn't think his injured lower left leg was "too major.

Spring football is less than a month away, but recruiting already is humming along at a brisk pace. Thirteen Floridians have committed to NCAA Division I programs: 11 high-schoolers and two junior-college players. Included are two of Florida's top linemen -- Pahokee DL Micanor Regis (6 feet 2/295 pounds) and Miami Northwestern OL Brandon Washington (6-4/305), both of whom pledged to Miami. Washington played at Miami Edison the past three years but reportedly has moved to Northwestern. Rounding out the early commitments: DB Patrick Johnson (6-1/190)

THE GAME: Guess who leads the NFL in rushing the past seven weeks? The Titans (166.2 ypg), thanks in large part to Travis Henry, who has four 100-yard games. He should be able to find holes in a Giants defense that was beaten up thoroughly by Jacksonville on Monday night. New York QB Eli Manning is under heat to make more plays. 4:15 p.m.; Sunny, 69; Giants by 3 Jerry Greene's pick: Giants by 6

Jammi German -- 1992 High school: Fort Myers. College: Miami. Why he was Mr. Football: His senior year, German ran 615 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 456 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a dangerous kick returner and had 105 tackles, three interceptions, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries on defense. Some compared him to Deion Sanders. What happened to him: German played receiver and caught 49 passes for 604 yards and three touchdowns during his first two years.

One day after Indianapolis clinched its third consecutive AFC South title, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Coach Tony Dungy again had to contend with the NFL's hot topic: Will the Colts (13-0) play their starters? The Colts will host San Diego on Sunday. "We'll probably play this game like a normal game," Dungy said Monday. "Once we get to the NFC games, we'll see." The Colts will play Dec. 24 in Seattle and Jan. 1 against Arizona. Brady should be "fine'' New England Coach Bill Belichick said Tom Brady was "fine," and the quarterback said he didn't think his injured lower left leg was "too major.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- He threw forearms. He punched stiff-arms. Willis McGahee moved the middle, turned corners, grew more productive as the game grew longer and did exactly on Sunday what most people expected him to do on this Buffalo team. He made it a decision on whether he or the Sunday-injured Travis Henry now starts. "I'm still not the starter," McGahee said after gaining 111 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. "He was out this week, and I'm pretty sure he'll be back and I'm looking forward to playing with him."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Shaking off the effects of a concussion and some internal strife, Drew Bledsoe threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and the Buffalo Bills embarrassed New York 24-7 on Sunday in a game that ended with 78,000-seat Giants Stadium three-quarters empty. BUFFALO STORY LINE Bledsoe hit 19 of 29 passes before another blow to the head forced him to the bench in the third quarter, but the Bills (5-7) had no problems hanging on to snap a four-game losing streak. Buffalo took control with a 17-point second quarter.

COACH: Gregg Williams (first year). LAST SEASON: 8-8 (4th in AFC East). DRIVING FORCE: Flutie Flakes are now a West Coast breakfast treat. With Doug Flutie now in San Diego, Rob Johnson is the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback -- and will have every chance to prove it. Johnson hasn't been very durable, though. RISING FORCE: This could be third-year WR Peerless Price's time to shine. He's learning from one of the game's best in Eric Moulds and could benefit greatly from the West Coast scheme.

Larry Hamilton threw 72- and 10-yard touchdown passes and ran 33 yards for another to lead Frostproof past St. Cloud, 38-36, Saturday in the 10th annual Osceola County Rotary Scholarship Bowl at Silver Spurs Stadium.Frostproof (8-3), ranked eighth in Class 3A, needed all Hamilton could muster to fend off Class 5A St. Cloud (6-5), which electrified 400 fans with a furious comeback after falling behind, 28-0, by halftime.''My cousin (Travis Henry) has a bum ankle, and I knew I had to step up with a big game,'' said Hamilton, the bowl's most valuable player after throwing for 186 yards and rushing for 50.Henry limped to 75 yards and scored once but played sparingly.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- All Donovan McNabb was looking for was a few first downs to run out the clock. What he got was Brian Westbrook's 62-yard touchdown run to seal a 23-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills. It was a breakthrough performance for what had been a sputtering Eagles' offense, and an important victory for a Philadelphia team (1-2) still stinging after being outscored a combined 48-10 in losses to Tampa Bay and New England. PHILADELPHIA STORY LINE McNabb looked refreshed and decisive after spending part of the team's bye week vacationing in Arizona.

ARIZONA CARDINALS 2002 RECORD: 5-11. WHEN: July 25. WHERE: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz. WHO'S NEW: Emmitt Smith, the Dallas icon who last year became the league's career rushing leader, was released in March and opted for pro football purgatory in the desert. We may never understand how retirement -- with three Super Bowl rings, not to mention immortality, in two -- was not a better option. THE BUZZ: Neither the signing of Smith, nor those of castoff QB Jeff Blake and right-place, right-time FS Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl MVP with Tampa Bay, should get Cardinals fans too excited -- if there are any Cardinals fans, that is. ATLANTA FALCONS 2002 RECORD: 9-6-1 (NFC wild card)